I thought the 8th of May was a good choice for the pun, but Australia doesn't really have that kind of ethos anymore.

What's the colourful train in the fourth picture?

Apart from the underframe design, what are the main differences between the 81 and the G class locomotives?

The V sets will be completely withdrawn from service this month? The introduction of the Mariyungs has been swift now that they've entered service.

That's some quality customer service right there. The old state railways certainly had a "take it or leave it" attitude so I'm not surprised patronage collapsed once driving and flying became more accessible. They just didn't even try to be better, just apathy and indifference all the way up.

There was also no dedicated medium-distance electric rollingstock (unlike in NSW), so until the N sets were introduced in the early 80s, passenger trains would have consisted of the same decrepit wooden-bodied stock that had been in use for six or more decades.

The door hinges failed and ballast forced its way into the cab. The power car was in a much better structural condition than some HSTs have been after collisions or derailments.

The XPT is a significantly improved design and unlike the HST, has a steel frame underneath the fibreglass front end.

They have such a 90s styling to them, they're great EMUs. IIRC they use GTO thyristors in their control circuits so they make a distinctive sound as they accelerate.

Average speed of the trams is around 11 km/h. I would like our trams to be upgraded from the legacy network it is to a light rail system with dedicated lanes and accessible platforms at all stops, similar to a lot of modern German systems.

Socialist Equality must be quite the party.

I bet their landlords jacked up the rent substantially too to profit from the improved amenities.

"Sometimes"?

They went out of their way to design and build one of the most expensive tram routes in the world, refusing to learn a single thing from Melbourne out of spite. The same length of track could've been built here in half the time for a fraction of the cost.

I used to think that roads with trams on them should have no on-street parking, and now I firmly believe that the trams should get their own dedicated lanes, even on the narrower roads with just two lanes in each direction.

Melbourne really needs to work on this, particularly with the trams and buses. Journey times are extremely long for both of these modes.